Five Families/Historical

The Five Families are the five major New York crime families of the American Mafia, namely the Genovese crime family, Gambino crime family, Colombo crime family, Bonanno crime family, and Lucchese crime family. The families were created under Salvatore Maranzano following the end of the Castellammarese War in 1931, with each of his loyal followers being given control of an organization with territories and rackets in New York City. The Families are not limited to New York, as the Lucchese and Genovese families have notable crews in New Jersey, and the families also have connections to crime in Las Vegas, Florida, Canada, and elsewhere. The families dominated organized crime during the 20th century, and they were some of the most powerful criminal organizations in history. During the 1990s, the families began to decline in power as the FBI began to increase the pressure against the families, offering money and protection to former Mafia criminals who decided to "turn states" against their families.